Samsung delays Galaxy Note 7 relaunch to complete the recall

People have until October 1 to turn in their phones through domestic carriers

Following a nation-wide recall in South Korea of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 smartphones due to a wave of overheating and exploding devices, the company announced on Sunday that the relaunch date was pushed back to October 1st to complete the recall.

Only about 200,000 thousand customers have turned in their devices so far, which Samsung says it is only about half of the affected, according to an article in Reuters. South Korea’s recall is apparently going slower than countries like Singapore and the United States.

The article also notes affected customers will not be able to turn in and exchange their damaged phones through domestic carriers starting October 1, which will make the recall process even more challenging. In the meantime, the incidents continue after the announcement of the recall, with recent reports by customers of their phones catching on fire.

Some airlines do not allow the Galaxy Note 7 on their planes

Three Australian airlines have allegedly banned their passengers from using or charging this phone on all flights. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also issued a warning against taking these phones aboard a plane, even in checked luggage, this according to an RT piece.

The company has continuously stated they will keep selling the phones after locating and fixing the self-ignition problems inside the phone’s battery. Reuters also reported that Samsung apologized on Sunday for the recall delay saying the staff would do their best to solve the situation quickly.

The waves of exploding-phone incidents, which started to happen weeks after the first unveiling of the Note 7, have been attributed to a rushed release of the phone by Samsung, possibly draw customers before Apple launched the iPhone 7.

The Galaxy Note 7 will available again by September

Another article from the International Business Times reported Samsung wishes to resume sales of the Note 7 in Europe sometime around late September. The Galaxy Note 7 will launch in Europe markets where it was not available before.

“SAMSUNG HAD CREATED DEMAND WHICH WE WANT TO GO BACK TO FULFILLING AS FAST AS POSSIBLE,” David Lowes, Samsung’s chief marketing, told Reuters.

When the first Note 7 incidents were reported earlier this year, the company had already sold more than 2.5 million phones. The problem, as mentioned earlier, was found to reside in the batteries, which were made by Samsung’s SDI subsidiary.

Some filed reports have apparently been found to be false, but most of them are still affecting Samsung as new users keep bringing in their burned-out phones.